


and then the sun came crashing in

by lgbtpoe



Category: Glee
Genre: Background Faberry, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Secret Relationship, Slow burn but not too slow, Warbler!Blaine, and blam nation only, barista!sam, coffee shop AU, quarterback!Sam, rachel and kurt are blaine's wingmen, this is for blam nation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:56:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24165490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbtpoe/pseuds/lgbtpoe
Summary: Blaine Anderson, leader of the Dalton Academy Warblers, finds a lost cell phone. It belongs to Sam Evans, quarterback on the McKinley High School football team.When an unlikely friendship forms, it threatens to jeopardise the rivalry between the New Directions and the Warblers.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sam Evans, Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Comments: 18
Kudos: 71





	1. tuesday, 4:22 P.M.

The impatient honk of a car’s horn and a choir of giggles from a group of passing middle school kids abruptly snapped Blaine out of a momentary stupor. An ache crawled up his temples and planted itself stubbornly in the centre of his forehead; a reminder of every responsibility he had to juggle.  _ Regionals. Warbler practice. American History. Calculus. Regionals. Mom. Dad. Cooper. Kurt. Regionals.  _

Another moment passed before he realised that the crossing light in front of him was flashing green. He managed to pick up his feet, stumbling across the street and waving an apology to the driver who watched him cross with contempt, nearly dropping an armful of newly purchased sheet music in the process. 

Slumping down onto the first bench he could find, Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket to try and find some reassurance in his best friend. At that moment, he couldn’t think of anything better than a Golden Girls marathon with Kurt. 

**_ME_ **

_ kurt :( _

**_KURT_ **

_ blaine :( _

**_ME_ **

_ i’m so tired and everyone kept fighting at practice today and i need a hug pls _

**_KURT_ **

_ my house right now _

**_ME_ **

_ ur the best _

**_KURT_ **

_ rachel is here that’s chill right? _

**_ME_ **

_ of course. i’ve missed mini barbra pls dont tell her i said that though _

**_KURT_ **

_ see you soon :) _

Blaine smiled, the nagging pain in his head replaced with a fuzzy warmth. Sure, Kurt didn’t share Blaine’s love of Katy Perry and occasionally - no, frequently - questioned his clothing choices, but he never backed out of helping a friend in crisis. Blaine’s train of fond thoughts was quickly interrupted by the chime of an incoming text message; not from his phone, however; the noise came from a cell phone left abandoned on the bench next to him. He picked it up, feeling slightly guilty as he read the stranger’s incoming texts.

**_FINN_ **

_ Call of duty in 10? _

**_FINN_ **

_ Wait ur in work i forgot  _

Thankful that the phone’s owner had decided against a password, Blaine unlocked it and called the number under the name Finn, hoping he wasn’t already too busy with gaming responsibilities to answer. 

He wasn’t.

“Dude, I thought you were working tonight,” Finn said, his tone mildly confused.

“No, uh, this isn’t my- wait. Finn? Hudson?” Blaine recognised the voice as Kurt’s stepbrother’s. The familiarity of it was an instant comfort. 

“Yeah? Who’s this? Why do you have Sam’s phone?” The confusion was building in his voice with every word.

“It’s Blaine. Kurt’s friend, from Dalton.” 

“Oh, hey man! What’s up?”

“Man, this is a stroke of luck. You know the guy this phone belongs to? I just found it on the street outside Between The Sheets.”

“Yeah, dude. It’s Sam’s. Sam Evans - he’s sorta new at McKinley. He’s on the football team with me. He’s in glee club too.”  _ So he must know Kurt,  _ Blaine thought,  _ damn, this is a small world.  _ “He’s at work right now, at the Lima Bean. The coffee shop. Call them and tell them you’ve got his phone. He must be so worried, man.”

“Finn, you’re a star. I gotta go. Thank you so much.” 

Blaine ended the call and scoured Sam’s contacts for the Lima Bean’s number. He hoped he would have some luck with the contact named ‘Work :/’. The phone rang for nearly two minutes - it was 4:30 P.M., meaning the Lima Bean was probably flooded with students from both McKinley High and Dalton Academy; the queue of caffeine-deprived teenagers usually stretched out of the door. 

Eventually a flustered, albeit chirpy, voice answered. “Lima Bean, Sam speaking. How can I help?” 

Blaine stammered while trying to formulate a reply - with the exception of Finn, it was very unlikely for him to be found interacting with a quarterback. He wasn’t convinced that football and acapella were a good mix. 

“Um, Sam, yeah, you’re the one I need to speak to. I’ve got your cell phone. I found it, I mean.” Blaine found himself letting out a nervous laugh after every sentence. He kicked himself under the bench. 

“Oh my god dude, you’re like, a life saver! I thought it was a goner.” Sam’s voice was kind, and cheerful. Charming. “Are you nearby? I can meet you out back, if that’s cool with you.”

“Yeah, totally awesome!” Blaine winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth. “I’m a couple blocks away. I can be there soon. My name’s Blaine, by the way.”

Sam seemed unphased by Blaine’s cringe-worthy attempts to sound cool. “Alright, Blaine. Man, you’re totally my hero.” Blaine heard Sam chuckle quietly on the other end of the line. He felt a surge of warmth to his cheeks. “See you in 10”.

Blaine found himself replaying the brief conversation in his head as he made the short walk to the Lima Bean, torturing himself by reminiscing on each awkward laugh; each stutter.  _ God, he must think I’m such a loser,  _ Blaine rambled silently,  _ I mean, who says “totally cool” nowadays? And if I’m that awkward on the phone, how awkward am I gonna be in person? What if he’s cute? _

Blaine glanced up from his feet, and was confronted with the familiar yellow and green of the Lima Bean logo on the sign which hung on the street corner.  _ Oh, God.  _ He made his way past the shop front and turned the corner, walking considerably slower than he had been before. Glancing into the alleyway which the back door of the shop opened into, Blaine was met with the sight of a tall, athletic boy around his age, leaning against the wall, lazily kicking a rock around with the toe of his shoe. He had a mop of bleach-blonde hair which flopped into his eyes, and was wearing an apron over a baseball tee and jeans.

_ Shit. He’s cute. _

Blaine stood in silence for a little too long, rudely transfixed on the boy, who had yet to notice his staring.  _ Make this as painless as possible,  _ he told himself.

“Hey, um-” the boy looked up abruptly when Blaine spoke, “-you’re… are you Sam?”

A lopsided grin tugged at the corner of the boy’s mouth. Blaine felt heat flood to his face again.

“I sure am. Sam, I am.” Sam cleared his throat, still sporting a sheepish smirk. “Blaine, right?”

“Uh, yeah.” Blaine became suddenly aware of his lack of basic courtesy. Gingerly wiping a sweaty palm on his blazer, he extended his hand to Sam, painting a friendly smile of his own across his face. 

Sam grasped his hand firmly and shook it with an enthusiasm which caught Blaine off-guard. Their eyes met and they lingered for a few seconds; Sam’s green eyes were speckled with brown, Blaine noticed. His eyes sparkled, and they were kind, and Blaine found it difficult to avert his gaze.

“You have no idea how grateful I am, dude,” Sam said. “There’s no way I could’ve saved another three months’ pay for a new phone.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Blaine rubbed the back of his neck, enduring a few more excruciating seconds of silence, before realising that the other boy probably wanted his cell phone back. He tore his eyes from Sam’s, reaching into his satchel and handing the phone over. “Happy to help.”

“Thanks again, man.” Sam stuffed his phone into his pocket. He scanned Blaine up and down, which caused Blaine to freeze entirely, struggling to retain his composed exterior.

“So you’re a Dalton guy, huh?” Sam queried. Blaine nodded his head. “Are you in the… the, um… what are they called… the Babblers?”

Blaine’s expression loosened into a grin. “You mean the Warblers?”

The tips of Sam’s ears turned pink. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. Duh.”

“Yeah, I’m a Warbler. I’m the lead, actually.” Blaine became conscious of how snobby he sounded. “That wasn’t supposed to be a humble brag. Sorry.”

Thankfully, Sam was amused. “So you’re our competition at Regionals. Interesting.”

“Of course, you’re in the New Directions! Finn told me. When I called him from your phone. Sorry, that probably sounded super creepy.”  _ Oh my God, Blaine, stop talking. _ “I know his brother, Kurt. He went to Dalton for a little while.” 

“Dude, Hummel’s crazy talented. You’ve got yourself some fierce competition, Blaine Warbler,” Sam teased, beaming. Blaine’s chest fluttered a little.

“You haven’t seen us in action yet,” Blaine taunted in reply, matching Sam’s playful smile. He was surprised at how comfortable he felt in the other boy’s company already. 

“Um, if you come ‘round the front I’ll make you a coffee. Or anything else you want. I know not everyone likes coffee. On the house, obviously,” Sam rambled. Blaine found himself having to tear his eyes away from Sam’s face again. He figured that not many people enjoyed being adoringly stared at by a stranger. 

“Oh, man, that’s really sweet of you. I’ll just-” Blaine pointed in the direction of the shop front and walked away, leaving Sam to go back inside.

The Lima Bean was much quieter now that most of the school kids had poured out. When Blaine walked in, Sam was already at the counter tinkering with an espresso machine. He glanced up as Blaine approached, standing up a little straighter and flashing him a smile. Blaine habitually ran a hand through his gelled hair, suddenly mindful of his appearance. 

“What can I get for you, sir?” Sam said with mock formality.

Blaine beamed back at him, making less effort to hide his fondness for his new acquaintance with each exchange. 

“Surprise me,” Blaine replied. To his bewilderment, he found himself winking at Sam. He wasn’t sure he’d ever winked at someone before. 

Sam smirked. “Sure.” 

Blaine watched Sam potter about with cups and coffee and machines, occasionally glancing away when he was caught staring. He noticed how Sam stuck out his tongue a little as he wrote on the cup, how he flicked his hair out of his eyes every so often, how he was careful and precise in everything he did. It was enticing. 

“Here you go.” Sam placed a cup down on the counter.  **BLAINE WARBLER** was scrawled on it in Sharpie. The two boys exchanged a grin. “Thanks so much again for finding my phone. It was awesome to meet you, Blaine.”

“You too, Sam.” Blaine’s heart sank a little as he began to turn and walk away. He wished he could stay and talk to Sam for longer. For ever. 

He checked his phone as he walked away from the coffee shop. 

**_KURT_ **

_ 4 Missed Calls _

**_KURT_ **

_????? _

**_KURT_ **

_ it’s been like 20 minutes since you should’ve got here where are you _

**_KURT_ **

_ blaine if i have to get in my car and come look for you right now i swear to god _

Blaine quickly typed a reply. The last thing he needed was another Kurt rant about being a terrible texter.

**_ME_ **

_ kurt i’m so sorry i’m on my way  _

**_ME_ **

_ i’m gay panicking right now i really hope you and berry are prepared for this _

Quickening his pace to catch up with the bus which had pulled up ahead of him, Blaine glanced at the cup in his hand, and noticed something else scribbled in marker on the other side of it. His heart swelled.

**CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU AT REGIONALS**

**\- SAM :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you made it this far, thank you! <3  
> this one was a lil slow because they're so awkward and bad at small talk but bear with me; rachel and kurt make for pretty awesome wingmen :)


	2. tuesday, 5:27 P.M.

Blaine felt at home at Kurt’s house. More so than in his own.

In the Hudson-Hummel household, things functioned properly. Kurt and Finn didn’t ignore each other when they passed each other in the hall. Burt and Carole didn’t fight. The walls were adorned with family photographs and yearbook pictures; flyers from previous years’ show choir competitions hung proudly in frames. The house wasn’t always tidied to an impeccable standard, and Blaine liked that; the clumsily stacked recipe books in the kitchen and mismatched cushions on the couch made him feel welcome. 

Kurt’s bedroom perfectly reflected his personality. It was impossibly neat; his collections of CDs, DVDs and books were arranged alphabetically on shelves; his assortment of Broadway playbills displayed with pride above his desk. He kept a basket piled high with copies of Vogue. Blaine stared absently at the walls, pretending to admire Kurt’s array of classic movie posters and trying to ignore his merciless teasing.

“So, let me get this straight,” Kurt said. He lay down on his bed next to Blaine, biting his lip to control the huge grin spreading across his face. “You, Blaine Anderson, and Sam Evans - you had a coffee shop meet-cute? Are you kidding me right now?”

“Don’t put it like that. Nothing about it was cute - well, apart from him-”   
  


“Blaine!” Kurt elbowed Blaine in his side, evoking a laugh.   
  


“Oh my god, what am I even saying? I’m just gonna drop it. He’s probably straight. He was just being nice. Not flirting. He’s just a decent human being - that’s all.”

Blaine wasn’t sure that he entirely believed every word which came out of his own mouth. His train of thought kept returning to the message Sam had left on his coffee cup. A strange thing to say to a stranger for whom your feelings were purely platonic. 

“Oh, please. Sam is basically the male version of Brittany. He  _ screams _ bi.” Rachel idly spun around on a desk chair, looking equally as entertained by Blaine’s predicament as Kurt did.

Kurt laughed. “You’re so right. That Justin Bieber phase - well, it speaks for itself.”

“You guys really think so?” Blaine made an effort to hide his newfound optimism from his voice. “Is he, like, dating anyone? Wait, I sound desperate now, don’t I-”

“He isn’t dating anyone, Blaine,” Rachel chuckled. “When he first joined McKinley, though, he totally had a thing for Quinn.”   
  


“No  _ way _ . Lucky she was already in love with you.”

Rachel’s cheeks reddened in response to Blaine’s comment. She and Quinn Fabray had been an item for nearly five months, but any mention of her girlfriend still managed to reduce Rachel to a giggling, blushing mess.

“Blaine, we  _ need  _ to hook you up with Sam somehow. Imagine the double dates with those two,” Kurt said, nudging Blaine as a means of encouragement. 

“Oh my gosh, absolutely. Q and Sam are, like, super good friends.”

Blaine laughed it off. He'd never been on a real date; unless he counted the many evenings he’d spent at Kurt’s house watching musicals which they could both effortlessly recite in full. Their ‘going out’ phase after Kurt had first transferred to Dalton was, needless to say, short-lived. Blaine had had plenty of crushes before, but the idea of a relationship - it frightened him. He struggled to picture himself as someone’s boyfriend. 

Sam Evans, however - he was an exception. Blaine, letting his mind wander; he could see them together. Holding hands at the movies. Dressing up to go to dinner. The things that Blaine had wanted to do with someone since he watched his first rom-com. He’d just never found that someone.  _ Until now? _ He sighed, scanning the room for any kind of sign that the possibility of asking out McKinley High’s quarterback was not the most ridiculous idea he’d ever had. Nothing prevailed. 

It wasn’t until Kurt sat up suddenly beside him that Blaine realised that, while daydreaming about a boy who was practically a stranger to him, he’d missed a considerable chunk of conversation. Kurt had a playful glint in his eye, and was sporting a smug smile. 

“You  _ have  _ to go. Rachel, you’re a genius.” Blaine looked over at Rachel, who appeared to be equally as proud of herself.

“Where? Go where?” Blaine’s voice was punctuated with a mix of suspicion and panic. 

Rachel tutted. “We try to help him and he doesn’t even listen. McKinley has a game this Friday, Blaine. Sam’s playing. Come with us.”

“What? No! His first impressions of me were awkward enough. Imagine how he’d feel if I just showed up at his football game like a stalker. No way.”

“Well, he knows you’re friends with me, doesn’t he? Just pretend you’re there to see Finn play, or something. Come on, Blaine,” Kurt whined, trying his hardest to catch Blaine’s eye. 

Blaine didn’t think it was a terrible idea, really. It wasn’t strange for people to go and see other schools’ games, but he knew Kurt and Rachel would take every possible measure to get him and Sam to talk, and he had no idea what he’d say if he were face-to-face with the cute barista from the Lima Bean again. 

“Just think about it, Blaine. You, with a hot football player boyfriend. He’d definitely let you wear his letterman jacket, too.” Blaine couldn’t help but smile at Rachel’s remark. He could feel himself blushing.

His visible embarrassment spurred Rachel on even more. “Aw, Blaine’s first high school romance. This is too cute; it’s like a cheesy movie.”

“How could you forget about our fling at Dalton? Now  _ that  _ was romance,” Kurt teased, grinning at Blaine, whose face was now bright red. “So, are you coming on Friday or not?”   
  


Blaine glanced from Kurt to Rachel and back again. They looked pleased with themselves already. He sighed, defeated. 

“Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was just a quick one to build some plot!  
> stay tuned for blaine being awkward at his first football game :D


	3. friday, 6:34 P.M.

McKinley High couldn’t have been more different to Dalton Academy. Blaine had only been inside McKinley once, to watch the glee club in the annual school musical. The school was vibrant, and welcoming; the rows of lockers, the thoughtfully decorated classrooms and offices, the loud red posters lining the hallways which cheered ‘Go Titans!’. Blaine felt that he would probably fit in nicely there - McKinley was a welcome change from the high ceilings and spiral staircases; the oak furniture and the itchy uniforms of Dalton. He loved Dalton - of course he did - it was his safe haven, it was where the Warblers were. It was where he met Kurt. It was also exhausting, being so prim and proper all the time. Blaine was seventeen years old - college would be on the horizon in a year’s time - and he still hadn’t done anything which he deemed ‘normal’ for a kid his age to have done; he’d never been to a party, never got drunk, never skipped a class.

But as he walked around the perimeter of the football field, Kurt and Rachel chattering eagerly in his ear, students wearing red face paint jogging past them; Blaine felt ‘normal’. It had felt good to ditch his Dalton blazer for jeans and sneakers, and to mess up his hair a little. He looked around McKinley’s grounds and smiled. The stands were filling up quickly; students were already jumping up and down in anticipation, waving their banners and cheering. The cheerleaders were warming up on the edge of the pitch. Blaine recognised one of them - a pretty girl with short, blonde hair - as Quinn Fabray. She had a natural air of leadership about her, strictly talking the other girls through their routine; she dropped her stern expression to grin and wave when she spotted Rachel across the field.

Kurt noticed Blaine glancing around the pitch. “Aw, don’t worry, you’ll get to see your dreamy football boy soon.”

Blaine slapped him on the arm. “Shut up! I’m not just here for him. I like football…” he clocked Kurt’s cynical expression, “... kinda.”

The crowd continued to buzz with excitement as the three of them settled onto a bench. Rachel ranted to Blaine about the glee club’s assignment for that week; about how Mr Schuester was “just the worst” for giving one of Rachel’s solos to another girl, Mercedes, who was apparently “talented, yes, but hardly at  _ my  _ level”. Blaine had learned to keep his opinions to himself when Rachel steered the topic of conversation towards show choir politics. Kurt sat on Blaine’s other side, wisely staying out of the discussion. He was smirking at his phone, texting someone whose name was supposedly none of Blaine’s business.

Just as Blaine began to tire of hearing about how Rachel wanted the glee club to do another Madonna week, the field erupted with the sound of music from the marching band. Eleven boys raced onto the pitch, sporting the red jerseys and helmets of the McKinley Titans. They punched the air and bounded around the pitch, stirring their supporters into a frenzy again. The cheers were deafening, but Blaine found himself whooping and yelling for the team himself, spurred on by the enthusiasm of the crowd. The opposing team, dressed in royal blue, ran out onto the other end of the field. There was a roar of encouragement for them; impressively loud, considering that there were only a few students from the other school dotted among the McKinley supporters. 

The commotion continued for a few more minutes, only dying down when the Cheerios began their drill. They executed it flawlessly, each girl’s movements perfectly synchronised with the rest of the group; the teaching methods of their notoriously ruthless coach were clearly paying off. The cheerleaders ended their routine in a pyramid, holding Quinn up at the very top. She beamed proudly, chuckling when she clocked Rachel blowing her kisses from the stands. Behind her, the football players huddled together. The game was due to begin at any second. They were indistinguishable from one another in their identical uniforms and helmets - Blaine did manage to recognise Finn, though, towering a few inches above all of the other boys.

Blaine leaned over to whisper to Kurt, “Uh, which number is Sam?”

“He’s number six,” Kurt replied, pointing to Sam, who was nodding his head, listening intently to the other boys discuss their game plan. He bounced on the balls of his feet impatiently. 

Once the band and the Cheerios cleared from the field, the players broke from their huddles and took their positions. A whistle blew and Sam was running with the ball, weaving between members of the opposing team. Blaine definitely wouldn’t have described himself as knowledgeable when it came to football, but he could tell that Sam was good. He darted around the field and brushed off every tackle with ease, patting his teammates on the back and giving out nods of encouragement. He scored the first touchdown of the game about ten minutes in - the crowd was wilder and noisier than ever as two of Sam’s teammates hoisted him up on their shoulders. 

Blaine tried to keep up with the game as it continued but repeatedly found himself scanning the pitch for the red number six jersey; his gaze always drifted back to Sam. Admittedly, he began to get bored as the end of the game neared, even after watching another scrupulously rehearsed routine by the Cheerios at half-time, so when the final whistle blew, he felt guiltily relieved. The Titans won - by a very small margin, yes, but they won. First win in two years, Rachel said. The McKinley boys leapt around, delighted, hugging each other and cheering along with their supporters in the stands. Sam took off his helmet, shaking his hair out of his eyes, and grinned at the crowd, striding along the pitch with pride. Blaine smiled a little and clapped with everyone else, watching Sam do his own little parade, showing off their victory. 

Blaine watched Sam turn around and start walking back in his direction. He caught Sam’s gaze. They both froze. The blonde boy’s eyes widened in shock at seeing Blaine in the stands, and he forced a smile. He waved shyly, his eyes still locked with Blaine’s. No longer paying attention to anyone else around him, he walked straight into the back of one of his teammates. Blaine stifled a laugh, relieved to finally break eye contact with the other boy. He looked over at Rachel to see her smirking back at him.

“Aw, Blaine, you made him shy,” she teased. 

Sam collected himself and walked off the pitch with the rest of his team, all of them still celebrating their win. The crowd started to file out of the stands; Rachel quickly left to find Quinn. Kurt had his nose buried in his phone again. 

“Are you coming?” Blaine said, standing up to leave. 

Kurt glanced up, but a new text notification averted his attention. “I’ll meet you at the car.”

Blaine huffed, joining the throng of McKinley students headed for the parking lot. He felt out of place now that he was alone, at this unfamiliar school. He wanted to go home.

Blaine craned his neck to try and find Kurt’s car among the mass of people trying to find their own. Finally spotting it, parked between two unhelpfully similar-looking vehicles, he leaned against the passenger door and pulled his phone out of his coat pocket. Nothing new. Well, nothing apart from a ‘Stay safe and have fun!’ text from his mom. He sighed again, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking down at his feet. He scuffed his sneakers against the concrete absent-mindedly. Resentment started to weave itself into Blaine’s thoughts; if he’d known his friends would abandon him after the game was over, he would’ve brought his own car. 

The sky was beginning to turn a deep purpley-blue, the fierce Sun letting a huge, luminous moon take its place. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, which allowed for stars to speckle the sky. A chill started to whirl through the air; Blaine pulled his coat tighter around himself. He was content for a few moments, watching the sky as the parking lot emptied around him, the noise and commotion of the football game dissipating more with each passing second. 

Blaine must’ve been staring up at the stars for no less than five minutes - he guessed, judging by the ache in his neck - before he was interrupted by a tentative “Hey”. 

He glanced around quickly. There was only one other person in the parking lot. Sam Evans, dishevelled and exhausted and glowing with his team’s victory, strolled slowly towards Blaine, an awkward smirk on his face. He’d swapped his jersey and shoulder pads for a hoodie and sweatpants. Despite his tousled hair and flushed cheeks and slouchy clothes, he looked even more handsome than Blaine remembered. 

“Oh, uh, hi!” Blaine stammered, uncrossing his arms and standing up to face the other boy. They stood six feet apart, smiling stiffly at each other for a few seconds. 

Blaine broke the silence, remembering the reason he was at McKinley in the first place. “Um, congratulations on the win.”   
  


“Thanks, man. My first win playing for the Titans. Better late than never, right?” Sam was walking towards Blaine again. He leaned on the bonnet of Kurt’s car. 

“Oh, totally,” Blaine said, laughing nervously, “you’re not having a party or anything? To celebrate?”

“Yeah, the other guys are. But I need to get home - early shift tomorrow. It’s chill, whatever.” His disappointed half-smile said otherwise.    
  


“Oh, I’m sorry.” Blaine frowned. 

They momentarily stood in silence again, the air between them growing thick with unease. A voice suddenly cut the tension.

“Hey, Trouty, stop flirting with Lady Hummel’s boyfriend!” The remark came from a girl - she was dressed in a Cheerios uniform, walking arm-in-arm with a blonde girl in an identical outfit. They both giggled as they passed by Blaine and Sam and continued down the street.

Sam watched them go, scowling. He turned back to Blaine, and raised an eyebrow. “So, you and Kurt… you guys are, like, together?” He didn’t give Blaine a chance to answer before he added, “It’s awesome if you are, by the way. Being gay is totally cool.” 

Blaine laughed, oddly charmed by Sam’s attempt to not offend him. “No, we’re just friends. I mean, we tried dating at Dalton, but it didn’t really work out. He’s probably sucking some guy’s face under the bleachers right now, actually.” Blaine gestured to the empty parking lot around them. “That’s why I’m waiting here like an idiot.”

Sam looked at the floor, as if he was hoping to see a suitable response to that staring back at him. “Oh, well, good for him, I guess?” 

“Just wish he’d hurry up,” Blaine chuckled.

The two boys grinned at each other. Sam twirled a lock of his hair around his fingers. He wore a slightly pensive expression, like he was considering whether or not to say what he was thinking. 

Blaine was about to ask how business was running at the Lima Bean in a desperate attempt to make conversation, but Sam opened his mouth first.

“Can I ask a favour?”

Blaine blinked at him, bewildered. “I- I don’t see why not?”   
  


“Uh, we watched a video of the Warblers performing the other day, in glee club. You guys are super good - especially you - and since I only joined the New Directions a few weeks ago, I could really do with some pointers. Finn and Puck hardly know any more than I do, and me and Kurt don’t have very similar tastes in music.”

Blaine was taken aback; was he hearing Sam correctly? Was he saying he wanted music lessons?

Sam caught Blaine’s bemused expression and quickly backtracked. “Actually, don’t worry, I get it. Of course you don’t want to coach someone you’re competing against-”

“No, I do. I will.” Blaine couldn’t believe what he was saying. If the Warblers found out - especially Sebastian - he’d be done for. Sebastian Smythe had been plotting ways to replace Blaine as the leader for a year now. 

“Really? Holy shit, I didn’t think you’d actually say yes. Thank you so much,” Sam beamed, a little taken aback himself, “I’ll text you, or whatever. We can arrange something.”

He handed Blaine his phone. Blaine gave him his in return. They swapped numbers, and Sam rattled on about how he was “so excited to learn from the best”. His smile, his laugh, his child-like enthusiasm about the littlest things; everything about him was infectious. 

Sam checked his watch and announced, “Shit, I really need to go. It was great to see you again, Blaine.” He set off jogging down the street, turning around to yell, “I’ll text you!”

Blaine smiled and waved, watching Sam disappear around a corner. He turned around to see Kurt a few metres away, looking baffled. 

“Did you… you two… did you just get his number?” Kurt strode up to Blaine, dropping his stunned expression for a grin. He laughed in disbelief. “Did you just get Sam’s number?” 

Blaine laughed with him. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one's been kind of a long time coming! i needed to think about how i wanted it to pan out, but i hope you enjoyed it :))  
> p.s. i have never been to a football game and know nothing about football so i tried my best - feel free to ignore anything i got wrong lol  
> p.p.s. i know blaine is a football fan in canon (even though it's only mentioned maybe once) but for the sake of this story he is not  
> okay that's all <3


End file.
